The Good Life: T.K.'s Story
by Venus163
Summary: The third part of the story, with Takari in it. Kari and TK had a fight, and TK is really miserable. Will he able to get her forgiveness? lease read Author's Notes, I've added a little comedy.
1. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 1~  
  
Hey everyone! Venus163 here!  
  
Sorry for the long wait. My modem has been broken for like, a long time, so I couldn't upload my files. Didn't help that the second computer was broken...*.*  
  
Oh well, I got a new modem, even though it *is* a piece of crap...Excuse the language.  
  
Now...  
  
"Venus163! Venus163!"  
  
(Sweatdrops) Um, hey Matt, what's up?  
  
"Your files are all erased!"  
  
WHAT??  
  
(Venus163 exits, near panic.)  
  
Matt grins diabolically. "Shh. Don't tell Venus163 this, but...I'm lying! Her files are fine. I just wanted to say the intro! Let's see, I know she has this all written down somewhere...ah! here it is!  
  
"Ahem. Welcome to the Third Story of the Good Life series! As you all know, you should read the first two." Matt looks up. "Especially the first one, since I'm the main character.  
  
"Um...she doesn't own Digimon. Oh, the plot is hers, though, Jare too." Matt makes a face. "Strange character if you ask me. But, that's off the subject. If you want to use him, please ask Venus163 first and then she won't..." Looks down at the paper. "Ooh, it's complicated, but I'll make it short and sweet: Ask her first and then she won't rip you to pieces!  
  
"She says it's an alternate reality fic, where all of us are in high school except my brother T.K. and Kari, who are in middle school."  
  
Matt puts down the paper. "I know the rest by heart. Venus163 wants you to review, or else. Oh, and um, the results for her contest...Although Third Eye Blind's 'Jumper' was voted for, the winner has to be Sarah McLachlan's 'Good Enough'. But you know, I was thinking more along the line of..."  
  
YAMATO ISHIDA!!  
  
Matt sweatdrops. "Uh-oh, I think Venus163's learned that I lied. I'm in trouble...Better finish up. Her story's rated PG-13, because T.K. is in so much romantic pain..."  
  
WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YAMATO ISHIDA...  
  
"Hurry! Um...uh...her E-Mail address...where is it? I know I had it..."  
  
MATT!!  
  
"Here it is! It's crescent87@hotmail.com! She wants all reviews and criticism sent to it. Now, I'd better go before Venus163 decides to CUT ME FROM HER STORY! AH! And oh, I, Yamato Ishida, present to you: THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 1. Now, I need to go!"   
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 1  
By Venus163  
  
He was passing the sitting room when he heard laughter. Curious, he peeked inside.  
  
His brother Yamato, known to everyone as Matt except adults, was laughing helplessly. His best-friend, Taichi Kamiya, or Tai as he preferred to be called, was laughing too, slapping Matt's back. Another friend of his brother's, Jyou Kido, or Joe, was turning purple from holding in all his laughter. And Matt's fourth friend, Koushiro Izuma, or Izzy, looked clueless.  
  
Izzy looked up and saw him. "Oy, T.K.! What's wrong with them?"  
  
T.K. stepped in. "Must be you," he said calmly. "You're the only one not laughing."  
  
Matt had stopped laughing by that time. "Did you hear what Izzy said?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"He said..."  
  
At that moment, Tai elbowed Matt. "Take a look at Joe..."  
  
Both boys looked at their comrade, who was DEFINITELY purple by this time. Looking at each other, they started cracking up again.  
  
T.K. looked at Izzy, who shrugged.  
  
Matt stretched and glanced at the clock. "I have to go. I promised Mimi to pick her up from the Mall."  
  
Tai yawned. "Don't worry about it, Matt. She won't mind if you're a little late."  
  
"That may be true, but I still want to see her," Matt said, eyes growing dreamy.  
  
Tai looked disgusted. "Well, it's your life..." He got up. "Come on Joe, Izzy. Let's go to that new music shop on Merit..." He walked out of the room.  
  
"I've been dying to go there..." Joe said, following Tai out the door.  
  
"Might as well check out the enhanced CDs," Izzy muttered, following his friends.  
  
T.K. hesitantly said, "Um, Matt?"  
  
"Yeah, T.K.?"  
  
"Could you drop me off me off at the book store on Lawrence Street? I mean, after you pick up Mimi..."  
  
"Sure, little bro," Matt said cheerfully.  
  
T.K. followed his brother to the garage. Matt hadn't always been so nice. In fact, just several months before, he had been cold to everyone.   
  
Then he had met Mimi Tachikawa, whose life was very much like his. Starting out as friends, they had fallen in love, and were now engaged. Of course, they kept this fact from the public, due to the fact that both the Ishidas and the Tachikawas were some of the richest families in Tokyo.  
  
Mimi was very nice to him. She understood about his love for Kari...  
  
T.K. winced, remembering how they had parted. She hadn't spoken to him in over two months, and he hadn't gotten the courage to apologize.  
  
T.K. slid into the back seat of Matt's platinum convertible. To keep his mind off Kari, he said aloud, "It sucks not being able to drive."  
  
From the driver's seat, Matt chuckled. "Just a couple more years, T.K."  
  
T.K. stared out the window. How he wished that in a couple years, he could drive Kari around in a car, like Matt did with Mimi...  
  
"You know T.K.," Matt said suddenly, "if you need someone to talk to, I'm here, alright?"  
  
"Yeah." T.K. glanced at Matt's worried face. Quite often he was sure that Matt knew of his feelings for Kari, but Mimi hadn't told him, and HE certainly hadn't...  
  
"Who's Mimi with?" he asked Matt curiously.  
  
"Oh, the girls in her class. A mall trip. Mimi doesn't like them, she only went because they were having a sale there," Matt answered.  
  
They pulled up five minutes early in front of the mall. Matt hopped out of the car and leaned against it. Taking out his sunglasses, he put them on.  
  
T.K. stifled a laugh. "What's this, Matt?"  
  
"I'm trying to look cooler," his brother said, looking at his reflection on the car. "Not that I CAN look any cooler..."  
  
T.K. couldn't help laughing. "Trying to impress the other girls to make Mimi jealous?"  
  
"No, I'm trying to impress Mimi..." Matt scoffed.  
  
T.K. snickered. "You're a dork, Matt, did you know that?"  
  
"Well, I'm a handsome, cool dork," Matt answered, leaning against the car and good-naturedly smiling at him.  
  
At that moment, a crowd of girls came out of the mall. They stood, gawking, at Matt and his fancy car.  
  
"Now you've done it, Yamato Ishida," T.K. said loudly. "Mimi's officially going to kill you."  
  
Whispers of "Yamato Ishida?" and "Mimi Tachikawa?" ran like wildfire among the girls.  
  
Matt smiled. "Well..."  
  
T.K. rolled his eyes, knowing Matt was enjoying every moment.  
  
Suddenly, Matt straightened. Taking off his sunglasses, he threw it behind him. T.K. leaned over the door and managed to catch them.  
  
He smiled as he watched his brother run to Mimi, who had just come out of the door. Matt, grinning like an idiot, took all her bags (which were A LOT), and carried them to his car.  
  
Murmurs of "Aww!" and "How sweet!" ran through the crowd of girls.  
  
Mimi, walking empty-handed behind Matt, smiled at them all. "He's a perfect gentleman," she said proudly.  
  
Opening the trunk, he expertly put all the bags except for the perfume and make-up bags into it. Then, carrying the rest of them, put them next to T.K. in the backseat. "You don't mind, do you?" Matt asked, grunting.  
  
"Nope," T.K. answered, finding it hilarious that his brother was Mimi's willing slave.  
  
Then, Matt waited expectantly at the passenger side.  
  
Mimi giggled. "Oh Matt!" She walked up to him and kissed him.  
  
Faster than T.K. could blink, Matt had wrapped his arms around her waist and dipped her into a passionate kiss.  
  
Wistful and envious sighs came from the girls.  
  
When they FINALLY pulled away, Matt, wearing a goofy grin on his face, opened the door. "Please have a seat, Ms. Tachikawa."  
  
Mimi gave him a quick kiss before sitting down. "Thank you, Mr. Ishida."  
  
T.K. tried hard not to laugh at the ecstatic whoop his brother gave as he rushed over to the driver's side and hopped in.  
  
Mimi waved smugly to the jealous girls still waiting for their rides as Matt drove the car away.  
  
"Hey, T.K.!" Mimi said smilingly, turning around to look at him.   
  
T.K. burst out laughing. "Oh, you should have seen Matt! He was wearing sunglasses and trying to look cool, to impress you and the other girls, to make you jealous...and when you came out, he forgot everything but to help you with your bags!"  
  
Mimi giggled. "Did he really?"  
  
"Uh-huh! He threw the sunglasses at me and RAN to you!"  
  
"I never threw sunglasses at you!" Matt said indignantly.  
  
"Well, in the backseat, anyway. But you DID forget your 'cool plan' when she came out, right?"  
  
Stopping for a red light, Matt turned and gazed at Mimi dreamily. "Who'd remember anything looking at such a pretty face?" he said suavely.  
  
Mimi started blushing uncontrollably. "Matt!" she exclaimed, flustered.  
  
Matt grinned. "You're so beautiful when you're embarrassed," he said approvingly.  
  
Mimi giggled. "And you look cute when you're being sweet."  
  
It was Matt who blushed then. "Then I must look cute all the time," he said lightly.  
  
They looked at each other and laughed.  
  
T.K. looked at the passing scenery, the trees blurring as tears stung his eyes. He remembered how he and Kari had laughed happily as they had teased each other. Of course, Kari's laughter had been VERY beautiful...  
  
But that...JARE had come along. Kari had immediately fallen for him, HIS Kari. It wouldn't have hurt as much if Jare had been deserving and someone good for her, but T.K. had immediately known that he would do nothing but hurt her in the end.  
  
He had tried to tell her. Only God knew how much he had tried. But she wouldn't believe him, insisting that Jare was the one for her. And soon, things got out of hand. He could barely remember what happened, but he knew that he had punched Jare and Kari had been furious, yelling at him. She had told him that she never wanted to see him again...  
  
He closed his eyes, trying to force away the pain in his heart. Kari had unknowingly held his heart in her hands and had broken it.  
  
There was hope, however...hope that Mimi had given him when he had told her what had happened. "Kari's sensible," she had said. "It may take some time, but she'll come to see that you cared about her, and did it to protect you...She'll forgive you."  
  
Maybe Mimi was right...maybe she wasn't. But he vowed that he wouldn't let Jare hurt her, and if it was out of his power to prevent that, he would be there for her when she would need him, no matter what...  
  
"We're almost at the book store, T.K.," Matt said triumphantly.  
  
T.K. ducked, trying to hide his tears from his brother. Furiously, he rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Matt," Mimi said quickly, "can we go for a drive later?"  
  
T.K. gratefully smiled at her. Matt had forgotten about him and was eagerly holding Mimi's hand.   
  
"Bye Matt!" he said, trying to be his normal, cheery self. "Could you pick me up in an hour?" Climbing out of the car, he looked at his brother.  
  
"Yeah..." Matt said absently, staring at Mimi.  
  
Mimi smiled and waved to T.K. "We'll be here in an hour, T.K.! I promise, I'll make sure Matt doesn't forget..."  
  
Matt flashed him a smile before driving away.  
  
T.K. hurried inside. A book immediately caught his eye.  
  
" 'Healing a Broken Heart'...." T.K. read softly. Tucking the book under his arm, he made his way to the paperback section.  
  
He was a little early. Sitting down in a plush chair, he opened his book and opened it to the first chapter.  
  
T.K. was immediately drawn in. It described several situations of heartbreak, and one was the exact same as his. Reading the page number it said to refer to, he hurridly flipped the pages until he reached it.  
  
He didn't read a word. SHE had arrived.  
  
Peeking over the top of the book, he watched her every move: her fingers tucking a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes lighting up as she found a good book, her small smile...  
  
Oh, how he loved her. T.K. had made a point to come here everyday at the exact same time, just because he knew that SHE was going to be there. He always pretended to read while in reality he was watching her.  
  
Watching Kari at the bookstore was his only happiness these days.   
  
Then...he saw HIM.  
  
Jare had come up behind Kari and put his arms around her waist. Kari giggled softly as he started to kiss her neck.  
  
T.K. forced his eyes down and bit his lip until it bled.   
Jealousy and sadness fought each other for control, but sadness won out. The tears filled his eyes.  
  
As quietly as he could, he slipped out of the section. Glancing down at the book, he decided to buy it.  
  
He wandered outside, trying to nurse his broken heart.  
  
"Yo, T.K.!"  
  
He looked up and saw Tai waving at him. "Hi, Tai."  
  
"What's up?" Tai asked.  
  
"Oh, I went to get a book, and..."  
  
Tai frowned. He knew very well who was in here at this time of day, and also what had happened between T.K. and his sister. She had told him how angry he had made her, after all. Yet...Tai found himself siding with T.K. He didn't like the sound of Jare.  
  
"TAI!!"  
  
T.K. looked past Tai to see Joe and Izzy staggering under the weight of bags, filled to the brim with CDs, movies, and music equipment.  
  
Joe, panting, yelled, "Thanks a lot, Tai!"  
  
Tai shrugged, sweatdropping. "Um, sorry. I saw T.K. here, so I..."  
  
Izzy grinned. "Prodigious! The bookstore!" Handing Tai all his bags, Izzy rushed inside.  
  
"IZZY!!" Tai roared. He raced inside after Izzy.   
  
Joe sighed. "They'll never learn..." Grumbling, he staggered inside.  
  
A horn honked behind him. T.K. turned around.  
  
Matt waved, stealing a kiss from Mimi. "Yo, bro!"  
  
T.K. got in the car. "Big clowns," he grumbled.  
  
"What big clowns?" asked Mimi curiously as Matt drove out of the parking lot.  
  
"Tai, Izzy, and Joe."  
  
Matt laughed. "Oh, I knew that. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if their families weren't so rich. How would they be able to survive, not being able to buy music and movies and all the other junk they like?"  
  
"Junk??" Mimi asked, a little pissed.  
  
Matt put on his puppy-face. "They like junk, but you like all the best things..."  
  
"Aw, how sweet," Mimi murmured.  
  
Suddenly Matt pulled over and looked Mimi straight in the eye. "I love you."  
  
Mimi beamed. "And I love you."  
  
T.K., knowing that he was forgotten, said disgustedly, "I'm gonna walk from here," though he knew that neither had heard him. Grabbing his book, he opened the car door and deliberately slammed it.  
  
Neither seemed to have heard.  
  
Sighing, he walked the several blocks left to home. He ignored his mother and climbed up the stairs.  
  
Flinging his door open, he threw the book on his bed, planning on reading it. Then, his eyes strayed to his closet.  
  
Suddenly the urge to see HER pretty face became so strong that he couldn't hold back. Walking over to the closet, he opened the door and pulled out THE BOX.  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 1~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: T.K,'S STORY, PART 2~  
  
Izzy walks in. "Prodigous! You read her story! Ahem. I'm here to say the conclusion, since Venus163 has been unavoidably detained...  
  
(In the background) COME BACK HERE, MATT! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!  
  
Izzy sweatdrops. "You understand what I mean, right? Oh well. I have memorized what she meant to say.  
  
"Here we go. 1: Venus163 hopes that you have enjoyed her story. 2: She has three more parts of T.K.'s Story left to write. 3: She wants all reviews and criticism sent to crescent87@hotmail.com (her E-Mail)! 4: She wants to apologize again for a broken modem rendering her unable to bring her story to you..."  
  
Matt runs in and hides behind Izzy. "Help, Izzy! Venus163's after me! Put in a good word for me! I mean, you *did* ask her for permission to say the conclusion, right?"  
  
Izzy shrugs. "Um..."  
  
"You did...didn't you?"  
  
Izzy sweatdrops. "Um...I kind of...no."  
  
Matt facefaults. "This isn't good..."  
  
YAMATO ISHIDA! OH, AND NOT YOU TOO, KOUSHIRO IZUMI! SHAME ON YOU! NOW, GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME...  
  
"I think not!" Matt starts running, pulling Izzy along with him.  
  
"I never thought that I'd become a fugitive!" Izzy gasps out.  
  
They run out of the room.  
  
(Venus163 enters, panting. Her hair is messed up, and she's holding a frying pan) Where are those two? Wait'll I get my hands on them...  
  
(She runs out of the room)  
  
-Venus163 


	2. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 2~  
  
Joe stands nervously. "Oh, I know I shouldn't be here...Venus163's going to kill me..."  
  
In a corner of the room, Tai gives him a thumbs up before leaving the room.  
  
Joe groans. "Oh great. Well, I guess I'm stuck saying the introduction since Matt and Izzy are *still* getting chased by our respected authoress."  
  
CRASH!!  
  
Joe sweatdrops. "I think that was Venus163's frying pan. Well, I'm sure all you readers know that to understand a story, you have to read the stories in order. Here, it's Matt's, Mimi's, and now, T.K.'s..."  
  
CRASH!!  
  
(Off in a distance) "OW!"  
  
Joe's sweatdrop gets even bigger. "Ooh, I think that was Matt. Anyhow, she owns only the plot, Jare, and Stacey. You should ask her for permission to use them, or else you can get on her bad side..."  
  
(In a distance) GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT DONE YET!  
  
Joe looks seriously unhappy. "...The rest and Digimon belong to..." Joe pushes up his glasses as he squints at the paper. "...I dunno, whoever owns Digimon.  
  
"It's an alternate reality fic, everyone except T.K., Kari, and Stacey in high school, those exceptions in middle school.  
  
"Her contest results are in Part 1 of this fic, you know, T.K.'s Story? The one where Matt and Izzy got in trouble..."  
  
Joe's sweatdrop is now *huge*. "It's rated PG-13 for a depressing plot. It's good, I should know. I'm a pessimist, after all.  
  
"She wants *lots* of reviews. Send them all to her E-Mail address: crescent87@hotmail.com ..."  
  
Matt and Izzy run in. Matt has a huge bump on his head, and Izzy is rubbing his rear end.  
  
Joe stares. "What happened to you?"  
  
"She got me on the head," Matt says, pointing in the direction where they had come from.  
  
"And she got me in the rump," Izzy adds, looking glum.  
  
"Oh...Hey! Wait a second! If you guys are *here*, then where is..."  
  
I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! FIRST MATT, THEN IZZY, AND NOW YOU, JOE! YOU ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU...!!  
  
Joe facefaults. "Spoke too soon."  
  
"Welcome to the Fugitive Club," Izzy says downheartedly.  
  
"We better start running again," Matt sighs.  
  
(Venus163 enters.) YOU!!  
  
All three boys: AAAHHH!  
  
Joe is the last one out. "I *knew* that I shouldn't have said the introduction!"  
  
(Venus163 follows them) YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN YOUR LESSON IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 2~  
By Venus163  
  
It smelled strongly of HER. T.K. had bought a bottle of her favorite perfume and sprayed some of it on the box and inside the closet. The rest he left in the bottle, putting it in the box.  
  
Eagerly, he pulled out her picture. The best one of her he had, it was, a school portrait that Kari had hated, saying that it made her look childish. T.K., however, had taken it saying that she was lucky to look so young.  
  
His eyes softened, his fingers wandering over her face, trying to memorize her features.  
  
Suddenly, a teardrop fell on the picture. T.K., sniffling, put it back in the shrine, trying hard not to cry harder.  
  
"T.K..."  
  
Whirling around, he was relieved to see that it was only Mimi.  
  
"All I ever wanted was to see her happy," he said cynically. "She's happy enough now, but when that Jare hurts her..." The cursed tears began again.  
  
Mimi rushed over to him and knelt besides him. Engulfing him in a hug, she soothingly stroked his hair. "T.K., keep your chin up for a little longer. She'll come back to you, you'll see," she murmured.  
  
"How can you be so sure?" T.K. snapped.  
  
"Who else does she have to turn to?" asked a voice from the doorway.  
  
T.K. gasped. "Matt! How did you..."  
  
Matt walked in and knelt besides them. Putting his arms around both Mimi and T.K., he said softly, "I'm not a fool, T.K. I've known about your shrine for a year. Tai knows too."  
  
T.K. paled. "Tai?"  
  
"He approves," Matt said assuringly. "He'd rather see Kari with you than anyone." He cleared his throat. "T.K., Mimi's right. Kari WILL come back to you. Who else will she think of to turn to, who's always been there for her?"  
  
"She hates me..." T.K. said miserably.  
  
"She does not," Mimi said gently. "She's just a little mad with you, that's all. No one could hate you, T.K. You're so good to everyone..."  
  
"Besides, didn't you say that you'd always wait for her?" Matt asked.  
  
"But...but it's so hard..." he choked.  
  
"Keep your chin up," whispered Mimi as the three of them hugged.  
  
A sudden rapping on the door caused them to look up.  
  
"Yo, what a cute picture," Tai smirked.  
  
Mimi giggled. "What do you want, Tai?"  
  
"The phone's ringing in your room, Matt."  
  
"Who could be calling?" Matt thought aloud. Shrugging, he got up and went out of the room, closely followed by Tai.  
  
T.K. bent down and picked up the box. Carefully putting it back in the closet, he took a deep breath.  
  
"T.K..."  
  
T.K. looked up to see Mimi holding out a hand. Smiling, he took it.  
  
When they went to the sitting room, Joe and Izzy were there, Joe looking worried, Izzy absorbed in a book.  
  
"My mom's going to kill me..." Joe whined.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mimi asked.  
  
"I-I took her car today! Without asking or telling her!" Joe blurted.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Guess what, T.K.?" Matt walked into the room, a big grin threatening to split his face in half.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You know Cousin Stacey?"  
  
"Cousin Stacey?"  
  
"Yeah, your best friend. You two always hung out together."  
  
"Of course I remember Stacey! What about her?"  
  
"Okay, well, she's coming tomorrow. I'm sure you'll..."  
  
"Let me guess...you want to hang around with Mimi so you're asking me to show her around, is that it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, alright."  
  
Izzy, who was looking through a book from a stack of many, remarked, "Prodigious!  
  
Matt made a gagging noise. "How can you spend so much money on books?"  
  
"My family's rich..." Izzy began exasperatedly.  
  
"No, I mean, reading too much isn't good for you..."  
  
Mimi patted Izzy on the shoulder. "I think it's wonderful that Izzy reads a lot," she said softly. "He's our very own genius."  
  
Izzy blushed. "Aw..."  
  
"YOU should read more, Matt," Mimi said sternly. "I *never* see you reading."  
  
"Who can read with such a pretty face around?" Matt asked.  
  
They all laughed as Mimi blushed crimson.  
  
  
  
"So, she got mad at you, huh?"  
  
T.K. nodded sadly. "And she told me that she never wanted to see me again."  
  
The blonde haired and blue eyed girl sitting across from him thoughtfully sipped her soda. "And you're absolutely positive that this Jed..."  
  
"Jare," he corrected.  
  
"...Jare is not good for her?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
Stacey drummed her fingers on the table. "What did Matt's girlfriend say to do?"  
  
"Mimi? She said that I did the right thing, and I should just wait."  
  
"What about Matt?"  
  
"He agreed with her."  
  
Stacey nodded. "They're right. You should listen to them."  
  
"It's so hard," T.K. whispered.  
  
"Well, let's see...why don't you shop for something for her? I mean, when she comes back to you, which I'm SURE she will. NO ONE could stay away from you for too long. Take me, for instance! I keep visiting because you're so cool to hang out with!"  
  
T.K. grinned. "Do you remember the time we locked ourselves in the bathroom by mistake?"  
  
Stacey snickered. "Do I? There was a dent in the door because we kept banging on it for hours."  
  
"And we couldn't talk for days because we yelled ourselves hoarse!" T.K. added gleefully.  
  
"Oh, what about when we demolished the tree house?" Both of them got up, chattering happily. Leaving the Food Court of the Mall, they walked and window shopped while reminincing.  
  
By the time they reached a clothing shop, T.K. was carrying several of Stacey's bags. Both whispered and giggled quite a lot.  
  
"Do you think that Mimi would help us convince Matt to cut his hair?" Stacey asked.  
  
"Mimi? Well, of course!"  
  
"I have GOT to meet this Mimi," Stacey said cheerfully. "She sounds just wonderful!!"  
  
"Oh, she is! And she's going to be a part of the family, too..."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh, yeah! She and Matt are engaged. No one's supposed to know yet, but you ARE part of the family..."  
  
"I'm glad Matt has friends now," Stacey said airily, examining a skirt. "I felt quite sorry for him at times. He always stood alone at parties and reunions, did you notice? I mean, you hung around with me, and you had some friends..."  
  
"Yeah. It was REALLY lucky he met Mimi. He-he tried to commit suicide," T.K. said darkly.  
  
Stacey dropped the skirt. "What?"  
  
"Well, only he, Mimi, and I know about it, and now you. He was really depressed at the time..."  
  
"Still, that's no excuse," Stacey said, picking the skirt back up.  
  
"Well, he hasn't tried it again..."  
  
"Is that you, T.K.?"  
  
T.K. spun around. Kari stood, smiling, with an arm linked through Jare's.  
  
Ignoring the sudden tears in his eyes, he said smilingly, "Yeah, it's me."  
  
"How have you been?" Kari asked nervously.  
  
"Oh, fine." Clearing his throat, he said softly, "Kari, I'm sorry..."  
  
"That's alright," she said cheerfully. "I forgive you. But you should REALLY apologize to Jare..."  
  
T.K. stamped down his unwillingness. "Um, sorry, Jare..."  
  
"Forgiven," Jare said in a fake happy voice, holding out his hand.  
  
Choking down his disgust, T.K. took it and shook it.  
  
"T.K., what do you think of this?" Stacey asked suddenly, holding out an orange sundress.  
  
T.K. watched as she held it up to her. "It's great, Stace. You know very well that you'd look beautiful in anything."  
  
Stacey rewarded him with a giant smile. "Tsk tsk, T.K.! You've become a flatterer!"  
  
T.K. grinned. "Matt's influence."  
  
"Since when has MATT been a flatterer?"  
  
"Since he met Mimi." Then, he remembered Kari. "Um, Kari, this is Stacey Takaishi. Stacey, this is Hikari Kamiya..."  
  
He met Stacey's gaze, and he could tell that She knew that Kari was the girl that had broken his heart.  
  
Stacey turned and shook Kari's hand. "Hello, Hikari."  
  
"Oh, Kari, please."  
  
"Kari, then." Stacey looked up at Jare. "And this is...?"  
  
"Um, he's Jare-" Kari began.  
  
T.K. hurriedly tapped Stacey on the shoulder. "Are you done?"  
  
"Almost. I want to get Mimi something, to welcome her into the family. From the little I saw of her today I have a good guess on her size, but I don't know her favorite color..."  
  
"Pink," T.K. said automatically.  
  
"Pink, huh?" Stacey looked around her. "Lots of pink. Well, when you're done here, come find me somewhere in here and we'll keep talking then."  
  
"Alright. Keep that haircut idea," he warned.  
  
Stacey winked at him. "I will."  
  
T.K. turned back to Kari painfully. Stacey had given him a few precious moments of freedom from the hurt, but now he had to face it.  
  
"Are you and Stacey...close?" Kari asked cautiously.  
  
"Oh, Stacey? Yeah, we're close," T.K. answered. "We've known each other for like...forever."  
  
"Oh." Kari looked nervous. "Um, I'll see you later, okay?"  
  
"Okay." T.K. uncomfortably made his way through the racks of clothing until he managed to bump into Stacey.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked immediately. "You looked really pained."  
  
"I'll be fine," he said lightly.  
  
Stacey stopped for a moment. "Let's see...she's definitely pretty, and she seems to be very kind. But she's young, and naive..."  
  
"What about Jare?" T.K. said quickly.  
  
"Jare? He seemed so...I don't know...OILY somehow."  
  
"Oily?" T.K. raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't look at me like that. I don't know how to explain it, he just...seemed slick, and if a girl hung around him for too long, it would make her feel...I dunno, dirty...Don't look at me like that. I have no clue what I'm talking about."  
  
"Well, I guess he DID seem slick...but still, OILY??"  
  
"Shut up, T.K.," Stacey said good-naturedly. "It's a girl thing."  
  
"A girl thing," he repeated, as if that explained things.  
  
Stacey, seeing how confused he was, laid a hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. "She NEEDS to go through this," she said softly. "I know you don't want to see her get hurt, or be deceived like this, but she HAS to. Then, and only then, will she understand that some people aren't who they seem to be, but others..." She smiled at him. "...others are more than they seem. Much more."  
  
T.K. blinked away his tears. "Oh Stacey..." Suddenly clothing was shoved in his face. "What?"  
  
"Do you think Mimi would like this?" Stacey asked airily, waving the pink dress. "Come on, tell me! I need a second opinion!"  
  
T.K. burst into laughter. "Stacey, Stacey, Stacey. What am I going to do with you?"  
  
She looked at him angelically. "For starters, you can pay for all my purchases."  
  
T.K. facefaulted. "Um..."  
  
"Then, you can carry my bags, and...ooh, maybe you could even..."  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 2~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 3~  
  
Tai enters, sighing in relief. "Whew! For a moment there, I thought I couldn't say the conclusion!"  
  
Grinning evilly, he says, "Matt, Izzy, and Joe have ganged up on Venus163 and locked her up...yes, you guessed it! Locked her up in the closet! Ssh, if you listen closely, you can hear her."  
  
(Muffled) WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'LL *ALL* BE SORRY! NOW, LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS SECOND!  
  
BANG! BANG!  
  
Tai grins. "See? And I think she'll be stuck there for a *very* long time. Now for the conclusion.  
  
"Okay. You better review her story, or else!" Tai makes a fist. "Hey, I want to know what I could do better too! She's gotten nothing but good reviews, and she hopes to keep it that way, but if she's made a mistake, I'm sure she wants to know!" Tai looks innocent. "Besides, we can all rub it in on her! So send all your reviews and criticism to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
"Next issue. Venus163 hopes that you've enjoyed her story. If not, don't sue her!" Tai shrugs. "She's only 13. Still, I personally think it's pretty good for someone who's *only* 13.  
  
"Third issue. Venus163 *hates* reading cliffhanger endings. I mean, sure, she has some, too, but she uploads one whole story at a time, so as not to keep her readers hanging. So, she'd appreciate all you people reading this to understand that she writes a whole story before uploading it.  
  
"I think that's all." Tai scratches his head. "Yeah, it *is* all. And I'm not going to die, either, since Venus163 is locked up."  
  
Joe enters. "Um, Tai?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're on her bad list."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Oh, and uh, she's starting to break the door down."  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
Matt and Izzy run in.   
  
Matt looks terrified. "Run for it! She's going to bust the door open any minute!"  
  
Izzy racks his brain. "According to my calculations, the door will break open in approximately thirty minutes."  
  
"THIRTY MINUTES?" Tai gasps. "We'd better run before we become mince meat!"  
  
They all run out.  
  
(In the background) LET ME OUT OF HERE! I'M GOING TO BE *VERY* ANGRY WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE!   
  
-Venus163  



	3. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 3~  
  
Mimi walks prettily into the room.  
  
"Hello everyone! I'm here to say the introduction..."  
  
Matt, Izzy, Joe, and Tai burst into the room.  
  
"Mimi, what are you doing? She'll kill you too!" Matt exclaims.  
  
Mimi harrumphs. "Hmph!"  
  
"Mimi, don't do it!" Izzy insists.  
  
"You'll be sorry for the rest of your life," Joe warns.  
  
"You do *not* want to be on her bad list," Tai advised.  
  
Mimi held her head proudly. "I'm *not* going to be on her bad list."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Mimi stares back at the person reading this. "Because unlike *you* silly boys, *I* have asked for permission."  
  
All four boys sweatdrop. "Oh."  
  
Mimi clears her throat. "Ahem. Excuse that little interruption. Now, Venus163 owns Jare, Stacey, and the plot. You really *should* ask for permission, whether to use them, or to say the introduction or conclusion..." she glares at the boys. "Well, all the rest, Digimon, she does *not* own.  
  
"Everyone here is in high school...well, excepting T.K., Kari, and Stacey. *They* are in middle school. I think Venus163 called this an alternate-reality fic.  
  
"This story's rated PG-13, because it's so depressing." Mimi smiles. "It's not *too* depressing, I mean happy end...oops, spoiler, sorry. Well, you know me. If I like it, then hopefully *you'll* like it too.  
  
"You really *should* review this. Venus163 takes all reviews to heart, and you should see how happy she gets when she reads reviews, unlike when *some* people read the introduction or conclusion without asking..." Mimi glares at the boys, who keep sweatdropping.  
  
"Send all those reviews and critcism to her E-Mail address, crescent87@hotmail.com I assure you, she reads *every* single review she gets.  
  
"I think I've covered everything...oh yeah! A word of advice: It's *always* good to ask permission for anything!"  
  
Matt scowls. "Would you let it go?"  
  
Mimi shakes her head. "No, not since you're going to die..."  
  
Tai looks around. "Hey, where's Kari?"  
  
"And T.K.?" adds Joe.  
  
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Sora either," Izzy announced.  
  
Mimi waves her hand. "Oh, them? They're searching for the closet door key to let Venus163 out..."  
  
"WHAT? AAAHHH!"  
  
Mimi's left in a pile of dust as the boys race out of the room.  
  
Mimi giggles. "...they didn't stay to hear that I was just kidding! Boys! And now, please enjoy Part 3 of T.K.'s Story!"  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 3~  
By Venus163  
  
T.K. sat nervously across from Kari. She and Tai were visiting, but T.K. was torn. On one hand, he could spend his whole life staring at Kari, yet, it hurt seeing her, knowing she liked someone else...  
  
Stacey comfortingly squeezed his hand. T.K. was grateful that she was sitting next to him.  
  
"Matt? He's taking a nap," Mimi cheerfully answered Tai's question. Since their engagement, it seemed like Mimi was living here, and T.K. thought it just great, especially since she had...  
  
"Hey, you guys...oh, hello, Tai, Kari."  
  
Mimi beamed as Matt came down the stairs. "Hey Matt!"  
  
Tai stared. "Matt...you cut your hair..."  
  
"Nah, kinda slicked it down more," Matt answered.  
  
"Interesting..." Kari said cautiously.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Tai retorted. "He looks weird!"  
  
Matt glared at him. "Not funny, Tai!"  
  
"I might not be, but your hair sure is!" Tai snickered.  
  
"Not nice..." Matt said, barely restraining himself from punching Tai.  
  
"Tai, that's because Matt's not done with his hair," Mimi cut in quickly, winking at T.K. and Stacey. "We need to give some of the hair a perm..."  
  
"Perm? No way are you perming my hair!" Matt insisted.  
  
"A straight perm, Matt," Mimi assured him. "It'll calm down the spikes."  
  
Matt still looked suspicous. "Well..."  
  
"You want me to do it for you?" Mimi asked.  
  
Matt glared daggers at Tai. "Yeah, that way I know nobody's going to mess up the hair."  
  
Mimi, knowing a fight would take place if not avoided, steered Matt back up the stairs. "I'm sorry, but this is going to take a while," she said apologetically, disappearing upstairs.  
  
T.K. sighed. "Matt's going to kill me when he finds out that it was my idea."  
  
"Me too," Stacey added.  
  
"He's not going to kill *you*," T.K. assured her. "But me...that's another story."  
  
"Well, I have to take some of the blame too!" Stacey said indignantly. "There's no way I'm letting you get in trouble for something I did too!"  
  
"You're great, Stace," T.K. said bluntly.  
  
Stacey blushed. "Aw, thanks T.K. But still, did you see the look on Matt's face when Tai made fun of his hair?"  
  
T.K. snickered. "Do I? His eyes wide as golfballs and getting wider!"  
  
"The whole family got makeovers because of us," Stacey remembered. "Elise did..."  
  
"Only because you accidentally popped your bubble when you were chewing gum on her, remember?" T.K. said slyly.  
  
Stacey's eyes lit up, though she blushed. "When was that...like, when we were six?"  
  
"Yeah, it was!"  
  
"Remind me to buy Mimi some ice cream," Stacey asked him. "She got us out of trouble."  
  
Nodding, T.K. avoided looking at Kari but looked straight at Tai.  
  
Tai decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Matt's loosened up a lot since he met Mimi, hasn't he?"  
  
T.K. slowly nodded. He met Stacey's gaze, and he thought, 'You're right, Tai. But you'll never know *how* much Matt's loosened up.'  
  
  
  
"Do you really have to go so soon?" T.K. asked, carrying her bags.  
  
Stacey nodded. "Yes, T.K. I have to go."  
  
Putting the bags down in front of the plush chair of the airport, T.K. turned and looked straight at her. "It's so hard without Kari..."  
  
Stacey put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, T.K. It's just a matter of time now before she comes back."  
  
"How can everyone be so sure?" T.K. asked bitterly, the pain too much. "Mimi, Matt, you...What if she *never* comes back to me?"  
  
"She will," Stacey said smilingly.  
  
"How do you know?" T.K. demanded.  
  
"Girl's intuition," Stacey answered. Then, she smiled brightly. "Come on, cheer up! I'll come and visit again, I promise!"  
  
T.K. stared wonderingly at her. "How did I ever get through those first few months without you?"  
  
Stacey struck a pose. "I don't know, but if you did, you can get through the ones after I leave." She opened her arms. "Aw, come on, you big baby. Give me a hug."  
  
T.K. gave his cousin a friendly hug. "There you go, Stace." His eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, can I write to you?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Flight 387 to Asahigawa start boarding now," came the voice from the intercom. "Flight 387 to Asahigawa start boarding now."  
  
"Good-bye, Takeru," Stacey said formally.  
  
"Good-bye, Stacey," T.K. waved sadly. He watched Stacey disappear into the ramp, her blonde hair soon out of sight. Turning around, he dejectedly started walking home.  
  
  
  
"Still stuck on the algebra, little bro?"  
  
T.K. looked up. "Oh, hi Matt."  
  
Matt glanced over his shoulder. "Poor you. I hated that stuff when I had to learn it." Looking at his watch, he apologetically patted him on the head. "Sorry T.K., but I can't help you with this. I'd only mess you up more."  
  
As Matt flew down the stairs, T.K. turned back despairingly to his homework. "Oh..."  
  
He had too much stress lately. First, there was his Kari problem. Then, he was in this alone, since Stacey had gone back home. Added homework didn't...  
  
The phone ringing interrupted his concentration. Wondering who could be calling this late at night, he picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"T.K., have you seen Kari?" came Tai's worried voice.  
  
"Kari, no, why, what happened to her?" T.K. asked, feeling sick with worry.  
  
"She's gone. I-I haven't seen or heard from her since this morning. She didn't come home for lunch or dinner, but I didn't think to worry, 'cause she usually eats out, but it's ten thirty and I *still* haven't heard from her, I'm beginning to worry..." Tai rambled, near panic.  
  
"Okay, Tai, calm down," T.K. said soothingly, though he was in as much turmoil as Tai. "Why don't you try getting hold of Mimi, Sora, Joe, you know, the rest of the gang. I have a good guess at where she could be, but I'm not sure. I need to go check."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Tai?" T.K. asked hoarsely. "Is she with Jare?"  
  
Tai was silent for a few moments, inflicting a dreadful silence. Finally he choked out, "I think so."  
  
"Then this situation gets worse," T.K. said bluntly. "Jare's the type of person to take advantage of a girl like Kari."  
  
There was a loud thump on the other end of the line.  
  
"Hello, Tai? Tai? Are you there?" Trembling, T.K. hung up quickly and ran out the door.  
  
"Hey, T.K.! Where are you going so late?" Matt asked suspicously.  
  
"It's Kari, Matt. She's been missing all day."  
  
Matt immediately stood up from the couch. "She's missing?"  
  
"I have a pretty good guess on where she is, but I'm not sure. Oh Matt..." T.K. said, stopping.   
  
"Yeah, T.K.?"  
  
"Could you go to Tai's and wake him up? I think he fainted."  
  
"Tai? Fainted? Of course I'll go."  
  
"Thanks." Without waiting for an answer, he flew out the door, praying that he wasn't too late.  
  
Running through the park, his mind was only on one person.  
  
'Kari...' he thought. Then, he stopped abruptly, hands clenched.   
  
'It's all your fault, T.K.,' he blamed himself. 'You should've done more to protect her, but instead, you selfishly stayed away from her, just because it hurt. Now, she's going to get hurt because of you...'  
  
Suddenly he imagined Mimi and what she would say. 'What are you waiting for, T.K.? Go be her hero!'  
  
Matt, he would say, 'Little bro, are you chickening out on me now? Chickening out on *her*?'  
  
Still, he couldn't bring himself to run any further. Near ready to turn back, he had only taken a couple of steps when Stacey popped up in his mind.  
  
'Takeru Ishida!' she exclaimed. 'You've waited much too long for it to end this way! What happened to the strong guy I knew, who watched over and waited for the girl he loved?'  
  
T.K. flexed his fingers. 'She's right, they're all right. I can't chicken out now, she needs me!' With that, he began to run again, running towards her favorite place: a cherry tree in the middle of the park.  
  
'Please, please let me be in time!' he prayed.  
  
Nearing the cherry tree, he was overcame with a sense of forboding. Quickening his steps, he strained to see any sign of Kari.  
  
He was rewarded with the sounds of quiet weeping. A soft voice sobbed, "Somebody, help, please!"  
  
'Kari!' he thought.  
  
"Shut up, sugar, no one can hear you now," came a deeper voice, which T.K. instantly recognized as Jare's.  
  
As anger built inside him, T.K. found a red haze surrounding his view, although not hampering it. He stalked towards the voices and in the dim light of the lamps, saw Kari against a tree, Jare on top of her.  
  
"Get off of her," he ordered.  
  
Kari, seeing him, grew limp with relief.  
  
Jare turned slowly. "Why, if it isn't little T.K. What is he doing out so late?"  
  
"I said, get off of her!"  
  
Jare pushed Kari out of the way roughly. He then turned to T.K. "So?"  
  
Kari, sobbing, snapped, "I'm pressing charges!"  
  
Jare grinned evilly. "I'm afraid that I'm going to win. *No one* messes with Jared Sugamora and gets away with it."  
  
T.K.'s mind raced. 'Sugamora, Sugamora...where have I heard that name before?' Knowing that it wasn't time for that, he clenched his fists and glared at Jare.  
  
Jare laughed. "As I thought. Weakling." He took hold of Kari's arm and pulled her harshly up. "Now where were we..."  
  
Seeing him do that, something in T.K. snapped. The red haze turning dark crimson, he shouted, "Get out of the way, Kari!"  
  
Kari instinctively obeyed. Tearing her arm from Jare's grasp, she threw herself over to the side.  
  
T.K.'s mind was on one thought: Revenge. Launching himself onto Jare, he started attacking him with such a fervor of anger and disgust that Jare couldn't fight back.   
  
Throwing a punch, he grunted, "This is for Kari."  
  
Punch. "This is for Tai!"  
  
Punch. Punch. "And this is for Stacey!"  
  
PUNCH!  
  
Jare fell to the ground, battered and unconscious.  
  
Panting heavily, T.K. stared disgustedly at Jare's body. Then, remembering Kari, he turned to her.   
  
"Oh, Kari." He went over to her limp form and put his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly.  
  
"Oh T.K.," she gasped out, "you knew! You knew, and tried to keep him away from me!"  
  
T.K. didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent.  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 3~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 4~  
  
Kari walks calmly in and looks innocently at the reader.  
  
"Don't worry, I've asked for permission from Venus163 too. Well, you've probably heard it enough times already, but I'm required to tell you again.  
  
"You'll be one of Venus163's best friends if you review her story. It's great being her best friend, because I am. She's smart (a straight-A student), a good writer, and she's really nice when she's not angry."  
  
Kari smiles. "There's only one more part of T.K.'s Story before it's my turn! In my story, it tells about what *I* was feeling. Please stay tuned for it!  
  
"My brother's story is after mine...that is, if Venus163 gets enough reviews. Poor Tai. He wasn't supposed to get her so...*mad*. I hope she doesn't cut him out of her story as punishment.  
  
"Now, as of this moment, Venus163 is..."  
  
(Venus163 enters)  
  
Finally! Out of that closet. Oh, hi, Kari. How's the conclusion doing?  
  
"Fine."  
  
I'm *so* glad you and Mimi asked for permission before talking to the readers. Now, if the others had done that...where are the others, anyway?  
  
"I think that they're..."  
  
Tai walks in with Matt, laughing.  
  
"So, I thought that..."  
  
TAICHI KAMIYA! YAMATO ISHIDA!  
  
Tai sweatdrops. "This isn't good."  
  
Matt nods. "You want to run?"  
  
"Okay. One, two..."  
  
The boys look at each other and run on two. "AAAAHHHH!"  
  
GET BACK HERE! Oh, Kari? You're doing a *great* job! NOW, WHEN I CATCH YOU BOYS...  
  
(Venus163 exits)  
  
Kari smiles apologetically. "Poor Venus163. She really worked hard on this story, and she wants it to be perfect..."  
  
Joe and Izzy stride in.  
  
"Hey Kari? Did you ask for permission?" Izzy asks.  
  
"Of course I did," she scoffs.  
  
"Where's Tai?" Joe demanded.  
  
"Tai? He's with Matt, getting chased by Venus163..."  
  
"What? Venus163's out of the closet?"   
  
"Well, yes..."  
  
"Let's get out of here, Izzy," Joe insists.  
  
Izzy nods. "Prodigious idea!" Both run out.  
  
Kari bows politely. "Please read and enjoy the last part of T.K.'s Story."  
  
She walks calmly out.  
  
-Venus163  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 4~  
  
T.K. happily walks in.  
  
"Hello everyone! Being on Venus163's good side is just great! I know that this is my own story, and maybe I shouldn't tell you this because of that, but I can't help it! Since like, everyone has said something or other, I want to too!  
  
"I have, unlike my brother, thought to ask Venus163 for approval, which was graciously given. Now..."  
  
(Venus163 walks in, dragging Matt by the hair)  
  
"Let go!" Matt yells. "Don't do that to the hair!"  
  
Don't tell me what to do and what *not* to do!   
  
Matt sees T.K. "Little bro, please, HELP ME!!"  
  
T.K. shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Matt, but it *was* your fault. Venus163 has a right to do this..."  
  
Matt grumbles, "Some little brother you are...OOWW!"  
  
Serves you right!  
  
"But still, Venus163, aren't you overdoing it a *little*?"  
  
(Venus163 tugs on his hair viciously)  
  
"Okay, okay! You're not overdoing it!"  
  
Carry on with the good work, T.K.! I'm locking Matt up in the closet.  
  
(Venus163 and Matt go out of the room)  
  
T.K. shrugs. "Okay. Venus163 doesn't own Digimon, and she never will, unfortunately. However, Jare and Stacey are of her own creation, as is the plot. If you ask nicely, she'll let you use them.  
  
"This is called an alternate-reality fic. Kari, Stacey, and I are in middle school. Everybody else is in high school." T.K. makes a face. "I *hate* not being able to drive! I'm so dependent on..."  
  
(Venus163 comes in again, this time, dragging Izzy by the collar)  
  
"I knew it!" Izzy says aloud. "The chances of going any longer without getting caught were improbable!"  
  
Shut up, Izzy. You're lucky to be alive.  
  
"But still, Venus163, isn't it amazing we went so far without getting..."  
  
Oh, hi, T.K. Izzy's going to be joining Matt in the closet.  
  
(Venus163 goes out of the room, along with Izzy)  
  
T.K. shakes his head. "See, evil doesn't pay. Well, this is rated PG-13, due to the whole plot. I think it could be PG, maybe even G, but Venus163 thinks the whole plot thing is for more mature people. I agree. All the pain I had to go through...  
  
"Oh well. She's been ecstatic lately over the reviews, since their all good, and I can't see how anyone *couldn't* be ecstatic over those reviews. She's talented..."  
  
(Venus163 comes in once again, this time with Joe)  
  
"Please, *please* let Venus163 be easy on me!" Joe prayed.  
  
Well, you *did* have a little conscience, so I think I'll be a little easier on you.  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
But you're still getting locked up in the closet.  
  
"Aw, do I?"  
  
Yes! Meanie, you're a traitor!  
  
"Traitor? Aren't you being a little harsh?"  
  
Grrrr...  
  
"Alright, alright! I...am a traitor."  
  
(Dramatic Joe and Irritated Venus163 leaves)  
  
T.K. counts on his fingers. "That's Matt, Izzy, and Joe...which leaves Tai! Just you see, it's not going to be long before Venus163 catches him.  
  
"Well, let's see...oh yeah! You send all reviews and criticism to crescent87@hotmail.com, her E-Mail address.  
  
Mimi and Kari come in.   
  
"How many of the boys has Venus163 caught?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Everyone but Tai," T.K. answered.  
  
"Then he's doomed," Kari said forbodingly. "Venus163's going to..."  
  
"HELP!"  
  
(Scuffling noise in the background, then Venus163 and a battered Tai enter)  
  
There! Caught all of the little rats.  
  
"Who are you calling a rat?" Tai snaps.  
  
Mimi shakes her head. "Stop baiting her, Tai, or she'll do something really bad to you."  
  
"She might cut you out of her stories," Kari suggests.  
  
"No!" Tai gasps.  
  
T.K., are you done with the intro?  
  
"I just need to announce the story."  
  
Then, could you do me a favor and lock Tai up in the closet?  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Treason!" Tai screams.  
  
(T.K. takes Tai by the arm and firmly drags him out of the room, closely followed by Mimi and Kari)  
  
(Venus163 turns back to the reader(s))  
  
Hey, y'all! Once again, Venus163 is back in action! What a lot of turmoil this has been since *MATT* (frowns) first lied to me and said all my files were erased. Ugh, I can't believe I believed him!  
  
Well, you're here to read my story, not my complaints, so here it is, the fourth and final part of T.K.'s Story!  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 4~  
By Venus163  
  
"I...I said some awful things about you, T.K., when you were right and I was wrong...oh T.K.!"  
  
"Did he...did he...?" T.K. said hoarsely.  
  
"No...only touched me..." Kari whispered.  
  
T.K. sighed in relief. "Thank heaven."  
  
"T.K...."  
  
T.K. saw the shame, fear, and hesitation in her eyes, so forcing a smile, he hugged her. "I'll always be there for you, Kari. I promise."  
  
She pulled away from him. "But you have Stacey."  
  
"Stacey?" He thought, 'How did Stacey get into the picture?' "What about Stacey?" he asked aloud.  
  
"You need to be there for her, not me," Kari choked, turning away from him. "You love her, don't you?"  
  
T.K. answered cautiously, "Yes."  
  
"Well, a girlfriend has first priority..."  
  
Staring at Kari in shock, T.K. couldn't hold back the laughter. 'So *that's* what she thinks! That Stacey and I are together!'  
  
Putting a finger under Kari's chin, he pushed her face up, so he could look into her eyes. Smiling, he told her, "There's nothing between Stacey and me."  
  
Kari looked up at him in surprise. "What? But-but you love her!"  
  
"Not in that way, Kar. *Never* in that way. It's kind of gross if you think about it, us being related and all..."  
  
"Related?"  
  
T.K. grinned. "Yes, Kari. Stacey and I are cousins. I love her as a cousin, nothing more."  
  
Kari looked very stunned. "Cousins?"  
  
T.K. caressed her cheek. "Yes, cousins. Besides, how could I fall in love when I'm already in...oh, never mind."  
  
"What?" Kari asked interestedly.  
  
"Um, nothing. Come on, I'd better get you home. Tai's been worried sick." Scooping her up into his arms, he began to carry her.  
  
"T.K.!" Kari exclaimed.  
  
T.K. grinned lopsidedly. "You've just had a traumatic experience. I'm carrying you whether you like it or not."  
  
Soon, Kari's breathing slowed, falling asleep.  
  
T.K. paused for a moment to cherish the feeling of her against him, to have her in his arms again, before heading towards the Kamiya house.  
  
  
  
"Kari!"  
  
Tai burst out of his chair as T.K. walked into the room.  
  
"Shh!" T.K. insisted. "She's asleep. She's had a long day."  
  
"Let me put her in bed!" Tai said eagerly.  
  
Matt appeared from behind him. "Nuh uh, Tai, you've been on edge all night. You'd drop her at the first sound. I'll put her to bed."  
  
Tai's eyes widened. "What, and undress her too?"  
  
"Enough!"  
  
Both boys stopped fighting as Mimi walked in between them. " *I'll* put her to bed."  
  
Both boys looked satisfied. T.K., relieved, handed over Kari to Mimi.  
  
"I'll help," Sora added. As Mimi and she went up the stairs, Tai pounced on him.  
  
"Spill, T.K. What happened?"  
  
T.K. collapsed into the nearest chair. "Well..."  
  
"Hey!" Matt interrupted. "T.K. looks beat. Get him a cup of hot chocolate or something."  
  
"I'll get it," Joe said, relieved to do something.  
  
"Good old reliable Joe," Tai teased.  
  
Joe, blushing, hurried out of the room to ask the cook.  
  
"Izzy, get off the Internet!" Matt ordered. "You don't have to send in a missing person bulletin. She's found!"  
  
Izzy, also blushing, shut his laptop. "Okay."  
  
At that moment, Mimi and Sora walked back into the room. "She's safe and sound in bed," Mimi assured Tai.  
  
Joe walked in too, with a tray. "And here's the hot chocolate."  
  
T.K. thankfully took it and sipped it. The warmth took over his cold body, heating it.   
  
"Well," he started, "I found her at the cherry tree, right where I thought she'd be. But...she was with Jare..."  
  
Gasps broke from everyone in the room.   
  
T.K. went on, holding the hot chocolate between his hands, savoring its warmth. "He was on top of her. I managed to get him off her, and I kinda knocked him unconscious..."  
  
Matt whistled. "Way to go, T.K.!"  
  
T.K. nodded. "Kari...she was fine, he didn't do *that*," he said quickly, seeing the look on Tai's face. "She said that he'd only touched her."  
  
"Thank heaven!" Tai announced.  
  
"Kari said that she was going to press charges," T.K. went on, "but Jare said that no one was going to let him lose, considering who he was..."  
  
"Who is he, anyway?" asked Sora.  
  
"Yeah, I still don't know!" Joe added.  
  
"His full name is Jared Sugamora..."  
  
A small squeak interrupted him, and all eyes turned to Mimi.  
  
"Mimi! Are you alright?" Matt demanded, clutching her hand.  
  
Mimi was deathly pale, fear in her eyes. "Did you...Did you say Jared Sugamora, T.K.?" Mimi asked quietly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Mimi tottered, holding onto Matt's arm for support. "Oh dear. This complicates things."  
  
"Who is Jared Sugamora?" Joe asked. "Who is he to make you so upset?"  
  
Mimi trembling, said hoarsely, "He was my fiance. I was engaged to marry him, an arranged marriage..."  
  
Sora gasped. "Him? *He* was the Sugamora guy your parents wanted you to marry?"  
  
Mimi nodded. "Yes."  
  
T.K. felt the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. "That's why the name Sugamora seemed so familiar! I heard it, the day you two announced your enga...your relationship to the parents!"  
  
"No wonder," Izzy said suddenly. He had been silent the whole time. Fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop, he announced, "Jared Sugamora is incredibly rich. Rich enough to have paid his way out of court and jail! He could...he could bribe the whole police force if he wanted!"  
  
"We couldn't take on that," Tai said, crestfallen.  
  
"At least...at least Kari's okay," T.K. whispered. Then, from sheer exhaustion, he fainted.  
  
  
  
T.K. walked slowly home from school, a piece of paper tucked safely into his jacket. 'Geez, T.K., what is this, the thousandth letter you've written to Kari?' he asked himself disgustedly. 'It's been a month since 'the incident' and you *still* write letters that will never reach her!'  
  
Cutting through the park, he avoided the cherry tree on purpose, knowing that Kari would be there, and headed straight home.   
  
Dropping his bookbag on the bed, he reached inside his jacket pocket for the letter...except it wasn't there...  
  
"Oh great," T.K. muttered, cursing under his breath. Knowing that there was nothing to do but to go search for it, he went out of the mansion and began to retrace his steps.  
  
Walking through the park, he noticed Kari ahead of him on the path. Brightening, he called, "Kari!"  
  
Kari turned, and it was only then that T.K. noticed the paper in her hands. "Oh..." he cursed.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he walked up to her. "Um, Kari..."  
  
He swallowed. He just *couldn't* think with those beautiful eyes turned to him.  
  
Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Um, Kari...I can explain..."  
  
"You...you care," she said quietly. "You really care."  
  
"I...I do," T.K. admitted guiltily. "Listen Kari, I..."  
  
He stopped, shocked, as Kari looked into his eyes, her eyes   
sparkling and a beautiful smile gracing her face.  
  
"You really love me," she told him, pure joy in her voice. "I wasn't imagining things, you truly love me!"  
  
T.K. hungrily took in her glowing face. Hesistantly, he mumbled, "Yes. Kari, I love you."  
  
He closed his eyes, expecting a hard slap.  
  
It never came.  
  
What he felt made him melt. Opening his eyes, he found Kari's face close to his, her lips on his.  
  
Kari quickly pulled away, blushing. "I'm sorry, T.K., I..." she stuttered. "I thought it was just wistful thinking on my part, that you really cared for me. I thought it was my feelings that were twisting everything so I thought this way. Oh, T.K., when I realized I loved you..."  
  
"What?" T.K. asked sharply. He couldn't believe his ears.  
  
Kari turned away. "I love you T.K.," she whispered.  
  
T.K. cupped her chin in his hand, shocked that she really loved him, scared that she really didn't. Trying to tamp down the singing in his heart, unsuccessfully though, he asked casually, "Do you really love me?" 'Slow down, racing heart,' he thought.  
  
Kari's eyes were tightly closed. "I-I do, T.K. I love you."  
  
Slowly, a grin spread across his face. With a finger, he lightly caressed her cheek, marveling at her beauty.  
  
Her eyes slowly opened. "T.K.?"  
  
"Do you know how long I've waited for you to say those words?" he asked her, bringing her closer. "I've waited for eight years for you to say that, three with all my heart."  
  
Their eyes met.  
  
T.K. brought her even closer and slipped his arms around her waist. Kari's arms went around his neck.  
  
Leaning down, T.K. pressed his lips against hers in a soft, shy kiss.  
  
They pulled away gradually.  
  
"T.K.?" Kari asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, love?"   
  
"Will you kiss me again?"  
  
"Gladly, love."  
  
T.K.'s aching lips found hers again, having waited for a long time. He couldn't hold back any longer. Deepening the kiss, his arms around her tightened, as did her arms around his neck.   
  
Feeling Kari's fingers run through his hair, T.K. felt tingles running down his spine. Groaning softly in delight, he pulled her as close as he possibly could, still kissing her.  
  
"Yo! T.K.!"  
  
T.K. relunctantly pulled away. Kari rewarded him with a smile before turning around and seeing who had called him so.  
  
Tai laughed. "About time! I was wondering how much longer it was going to take!"  
  
Kari nervously smoothed down her hair. "Um, hi Tai..."  
  
T.K. draped an arm around Kari's shoulders. "We're together now, Tai. No need to worry any more."  
  
"Great!" Tai exclaimed.  
  
"So you...you approve?" Kari asked, amazed.  
  
" 'Course I approve! You two were destined!"  
  
"What took you so long, little bro?" Matt asked, coming up behind Tai, with Mimi in his arms.  
  
"Leave him alone, Matt," Mimi scolded. Then, she smilingly turned to T.K. "See, what did I tell you?"  
  
"And what did I tell *you*, Kari?" Sora asked, popping up.  
  
"Guess what, T.K.?" Joe asked excitedly, running up to him.  
  
"What?" T.K. asked, taking hold of Kari's hand.  
  
"Your cousin Stacey's here."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Joe snickered. "I think she and Izzy have hit it off!"  
  
T.K. looked past the gang to see Stacey walking with Izzy, Izzy talking shyly to her. She was blushing.  
  
"Now *that* was unexpected," Matt remarked.  
  
"Definitely," Sora added.  
  
Mimi, winking at T.K., announced, "I want to go shopping!"  
  
Matt immediately began leading her away. "Of course we'll go shopping."  
  
Sora grinned. "Hey Tai! Joe! Do you guys want to spy on Izzy and Stacey?"  
  
"Of course!" Tai grinned.  
  
"Wait for me!" Joe pleaded, running after them.  
  
"I think they went to the computer store!" Sora yelled as they disappeared.  
  
T.K. chuckled as Kari giggled in his arms.  
  
"Now," he said, clearing his throat, "where were we?"  
  
Kari smiled. "I think we were about...here..." Their lips met and locked again in a passionate kiss.  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: T.K.'S STORY, PART 4...END OF T.K.'S STORY, PERIOD!~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: KARI'S STORY  
  
Sora walks into the room.  
  
"Hey, ya'll! I'm here with Venus163's approval to announce the conclusion. Then, we'll focus on what happens to Matt, Izzy, Joe, and Tai.  
  
"First of all, Venus163 thanks everyone who helped her in any way! Whether it was inspiring her with a great story on Fanfiction.net, or sending her helpful reviews, she appreciates it all!  
  
"As for reviews: Keep them coming!" Sora winks and strikes a pose. "As Mimi said earlier, she reads them *all*. Not one has she passed up. She has about 40+ reviews and she'd like the number to keep rising.  
  
"For Venus163, this is practice. She wants to turn professional, but she's not perfect yet, no one is when they're only 13. With a lot of practice, she may become a best-selling author in the future!  
  
"As she is an over-romantic, she *loves* romance stories, especially Mimato, Takari, and..." Sora blushes, "...Taiora. She would appreciate any suggestions on good reads.  
  
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...What happens to Matt, Izzy, Joe, and Tai?"  
  
Sora walks out of the room. The reader follows into a courtroom. Venus163 is dressed in a judge's outfit, while the four boys are trussed up. Mimi, T.K., Kari, and now Sora sit in the jury's box.  
  
"Fire away, Venus163," Sora tells her.  
  
Okie-dokey-pokie! Ahem. Matt, I sentence you to a week of doing all my chores.  
  
"What?"  
  
Izzy, I sentence you to fix my broken computer, oh, and my crappy modem.  
  
"That's not too bad."  
  
Joe, since you had some conscience, and I promised to be easier on you, I sentence you to clean out my E-Mail Inbox for a week.  
  
Joe sighs in relief. "Whew!"  
  
Tai...let's see...I sentence you to a week of being Mimi, Sora, and Kari's slave.  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
Matt snickers. "Have fun, Tai!"  
  
Tai unhappily gets up. "Oh well. Let's go, girls."  
  
Giggling, Mimi, Sora, Kari, and Tai disappear.  
  
Matt stretches. "Might as well get moving."  
  
"I'll help, Matt," T.K. pipes up.  
  
"You're the greatest, T.K.," Matt says gratefully.  
  
Izzy starts connecting to the Internet. "I'll do some virus research." He heads towards the broken computer in the corner.  
  
"And I'll clean out her Inbox." Joe goes into her Inbox. "Gawd! 16 new?"  
  
Heh, heh...I conveniently forgot to tell Joe about all my friends...oh well. Thanks everyone, for putting up with them. It's been my life's misery, but...come to think of it, they were pretty funny...  
  
Thanks, Ja!  
  
-Venus163 


End file.
